


Of Paper and Laughs

by zinniapetals



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, childhood AU, implied future relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 09:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinniapetals/pseuds/zinniapetals
Summary: “My name is Akko, actually it’s Atsuko, but I like Akko better. What’s yours?”“Andrew Hanbridge.”“Can I call you Andy?”“No.”orAkko is a onmyouji but still is in love with Shiny Chariot's magic. Andrew is the same as canon and due to circumstances, they meet as kids and it's all downhill from there.





	Of Paper and Laughs

**Author's Note:**

> Hehehe actually day 2 for Ankko week that ended like three weeks ago it think? Anyways, have this late entry where Akko is a onmyouji but still is in love with Shiny Chariot. Andrew is the same as canon and due to circumstances, they meet as kids and it's all downhill from there.

“Atsuko-sama!” 

Akko dodged her maid’s hand, bringing out her makeshift wand and transfigured the new maid into a tiny, fluffy dog. “Say woof.”

“Atsuko-sama!” The maid wailed, running around in circles as she tried to shake off the magic. “Your mother’s going to get angry if she sees you using that wand again! Please change me back.” 

The six-year-old was not interested in the logic of her maid; in fact, she didn't like the latest maid her father picked out for her. How dare she forget that Akko only ate chocolate chip pancakes and tried to make blueberry ones, it was a penalty worse than death.

“Say woof and I’ll change you,” Akko demanded, crossing her arms as she impatiently tapped her foot. The sand colored dog stopped moving and turned to Akko, closing her eyes as she shouted _woof_. “Okay! Ready?”

The dog nodded and Akko squeezed her eyes shut, envisioning the blonde maid to return back to normal, with a poof, the maid turned back into a human, naked and with a dog tail.

“A-Atsuko-sama!!” She cried out, covering her breasts with her arm and crossed her legs. “Please tell me you can fix this!”

Akko stepped back, giggling nervously as she stammered out an apology, turning and sprinting away from the maid that was now attracting the other servants. She’ll be fine, Akko reassured herself. All Akko had to do was go back to her room, re-read the spell and see where she went wrong then she could fix the maid before her mother found out about it. 

“Akko? What are you doing?”

“Mother!” Akko froze, tucking her wand in between the folds of her obi. “I thought you were getting ready for the ceremony today?” 

“I will,” her mother replied, coming forward to fix the front of Akko’s kimono. “It’s later tonight and I thought it’d be nice if we spent some time in the tea room before I had to get ready.” 

“Really?” Akko asked, smiling brightly at her mother, tensing when her mother’s hands brushed over the obi to flatten it. “I’ll go get the supplies! In the eastern tea room or west?”

“East.”

Akko waved back and sprinted down the hall, nearly bumping into three servants as her feet stomped loudly against the tatami mats. She passed the guardian scroll, immediately stopping and clapped her hands together, bowing her head and was off again. She reached the prepping room, announcing herself through the shouji doors as she waited for someone to open it.

“Akko-sama, you’re a mess.”

“Onsaki-san! You’re back!” Akko went to give her favorite cook a hug, tightly wrapping her hands around the black haired woman’s hips, breathing in her perfume as she snuggled even further into the woman’s apron. “You would not believe what happened this morning!”

“I heard,” Onsaki laughed, pulling Akko away and fixed the girl’s outfit. “Hopefully you didn't go too hard on her?” 

Akko laughed loudly, and sniffed proudly, crossing her arms as Onsaki felt a bump in the obi, pulling out Akko’s makeshift wand. 

“Akko-sama! You didn't!”

“It was on accident,” Akko said, suddenly feeling guilty and tried to reach for her wand, the elder woman raising it higher from her reach. “Well, giving her a dog’s tail was by accident.” 

Onsaki tsked loudly, putting the wand on a high self. Akko glared at the chief who was probably under her mother’s orders to keep anything western out of Akko’s reach but Onsaki was supposed to be on _her_ side! Not her mother’s! 

“What’d you come here for? I don't have any cookies ready yet, but they’ll be done in ten minutes if you’re willing to wait.”

“Actually,” Akko started, looking away from her wand and clasped her hand behind her back, “I’m going to drink tea with my mother so…”

“Oh? Well in that case we just got a new shipment of tealeaves,” Onsaki replied, walking over to the cabinet where the cups, bowl, and teapot were located. “Do you want to choose which one or should I surprise you?”

“There’s a ceremony later so make sure it isn’t something that will make her sick!”

Onsaki laughed at Akko’s caring but childish request, picking out Hanako’s favorite tea.

“Here you go,” she said, offering Akko a box that contained everything she needed. “Just leave it in the tea room and I’ll make sure someone gets it, alright?”

“Okay!” Akko chirped, grabbing the box and gave her wand one last longing stare. She left the room, running towards the eastern tearoom, passing the courtyard that the ceremony was going to be held at, decorations being put into place.

“Akko,” her mother called out, opening the screen door with grace. “Come in.” 

“Is it the minister of magic coming today or is it someone else?” Akko asked, staring at the western chairs that were being carried out to the courtyard. “I thought you were just going to perform a ceremony today?”

“Your father,” her mother paused at that rolling her eyes but tone filled with love for her husband, “decided to invite some western witches and your aunt invited some from the southeast as well. It became something of a party, I suppose.” 

“Are you tired?” Akko asked, frowning as her mother rubbed the bridge of her nose. “We don't have to drink tea. You can go rest.”

“Don't be silly, I want to spend time with you.”

Akko beamed at that. She walked to the middle of the room, taking the lid of the box and took out the dishes with practiced ease, careful to not make any mistakes while her mother was watching. 

“I heard you turned a maid into an animal today.”

Akko clanked together the two cups, cringing as she checked to make sure there were no chips in the jade. She laughed nervously, focusing even harder on her task as her mother stared her down. At least that meant the maid was back to being completely human now. 

“Akko, I love you, you know that right?” Her mother asked, sitting down in front of Akko, feet tucked underneath her put and her kimono sleeves tied up as she reached to turn on the fire. “You do have magical blood in you, it’s just not the western type. Your spells will never be as good as someone from a western witch bloodline but that just means you excel in something else. You haven’t been forgetting your studies have you?” 

“Of course not!” Akko huffed, handing her mother the teapot, which she drew a symbol in the air and water was placed into it. “I just think it’s fun and beautiful and I want to do flashy magic like that too!” 

“So you don’t think being an Onmyouji is flashy?”

“It’s _scary_ mom,” Akko pouted, widening her eyes at the casual term. Her mother simply smiled, reaching for the tea leaves and sifted through it. “B-but I do like what we do! I just wish it was cooler…”

“Then that’s your job to expand on our magic right? If you’re complacent with mediocre magic, whether it be eastern or western then you’ll never grow as a person.”

Akko bit her tongue as her mother went continued talking. She’s heard this lecture thousands of times. She knew it was her job as the only heir of the Kagari line to complete and perfect her oyunomiji studies but ever since she heard of Shiny Chariot, she wanted to delve into western magic.

“You’ll be coming out to see the ceremony right?”

Akko shrugged, picking at a loose thread in her kimono, stopping when her mother glared at her.

“I think you should, you might see something you like.” 

Her mother was wrong. She didn't see something she liked she saw something she _loved_. There, at the middle of the courtyard, surrounding by pillars of water and light, a beautiful blonde woman was dancing, her wand waving around artfully and the water followed. It became shapes, animals, flowers, and beautiful displays of powerful yet serene magic. It was everything Akko dreamed of doing.

“It’s a shame that that kind of magic takes too much resources,” her mother started, looking at the performance through the mirror as she fixed her headpiece. “I was talking to that man over there earlier and he said that this type of magic is becoming outdated, something that was left over from the Golden Age of Witches.” 

“But-”

“And when I was talking to Mrs. Cavendish, the woman who is performing right now,” her mother continued, trying to drive home her point. “She said that Shiny Chariot is a heretic in the witch world. Which doesn't make sense because I too believed her magic was wonderful. It’s truly a shame Akko. Seems like the western world of magic you so truly want to become a part of isn’t what it seems.”

Akko pouted and ignored her mother’s words, clenching onto the curtain of her mother’s makeshift dressing room that had a perfect view of the courtyard, the water now evaporating into sprinkles as multiple people came to help Mrs. Cavendish. 

“Is it tiring doing all that magic?” Akko asked, frowning at the sight of a blonde little girl clinging to the woman, excitedly calling her mom.

“She told me she had a frail body, but wanted to put on a show for her daughter,” Akko’s mother explained, stepping back from the mirror to give her outfit one last check. “But now it’s my turn, so be a good girl and applaud your mother loudly, alright Akko?” 

Akko laughed and nodded, knowing that the performance must have set a flame in her mother’s competitive spirit. 

“Good luck mom.”

Her mother looked back and winked, leaving the tent as she began to dance towards the middle of the courtyard to the sounds of the taiko drums and shamisens.

* * *

 

Andrew leaned forward on his seat, mouth opening in awe at Mrs. Kagari’s performance. He knew what to expect from Diana’s mother, he’s seen her done a few spells before, however, this magic; this performance was something he had never experienced.

He snuck a peek at his father, the man focused on the tiny paper cutouts that were dancing around Mrs. Kagari, floating then falling, walking around the courtyard. He knew of his father’s distaste for witches, he often heard him converse with his mother about how annoying it is that he had to travel to Luna Nova to keep up appearances, but the calculating stare his father was giving made it seem like he could change his mind. 

“Oriental witches,” he dad muttered, and Andrew leaned a bit to the side to catch what he was saying easier, “They could be useful after all…” 

His stomach clenched at what that could mean, nothing good he presumed, and he slowly got off his seat, checking on his dad one more time to make sure he wouldn't get caught, and left. 

He walked around the tables that was meant for the western officials, weaved in and out of the southeastern magician’s tables, and finally stopped in front of a red tent that had a perfect view of the courtyard.

“Do you like it?” 

Andrew jumped a little, searching around for the voice as he heard a giggle. 

“Do you like the dance?” The girly voice asked again and Andrew blinked at the head that was peeking from the tent’s curtains. “Your face looks like you like it.” 

Andrew coughed and tried to keep a cool face, his father always warned him about showing his true emotions to strangers. “I like it.”

“Well I  _love_  it. That’s my mother,” the girl proudly announced, smiling so wide that Andrew could count the amount of teeth she was missing. “Do you want to come in and watch it?” 

Andrew looked around once more, focusing on the table where his father was sitting, no sign of him noticing Andrew missing and he turned back to the girl, her head tilted questioningly as she waited for his answer.

“Alright.”

“My name is Akko, actually it’s Atsuko, but I like Akko better. What’s yours?”

“Andrew Hanbridge.” 

“Can I call you Andy?” 

“No.” 

“Okay!” And with that she opened the curtain all the way, a small bench placed right in front of the open flaps. “Come on in!” 

Andrew gingerly sat on the seat, the plushness of it making him sink into it as Akko sat and squirmed next to him, trying to get comfortable. 

“Can you do magic?” She asked, eyes shining brightly as smiled at him. 

“No,” he answered, looking away from her intrusive stare at back at the performance, where the music began to increase tempo. “Can you do magic?”

“Yes.” 

“Are you a witch?” Andrew asked, looking at Akko who was staring at her mom’s performance with a wide smile on her face. 

“Look! You don't wanna miss this!”

And Andrew looked, a flash of bright light then three big swords stood behind Mrs. Kagari, the floating paper gone as two huge and scary looking creatures stood next to the woman.

"What are those?!"

"Contracts," Akko said, looking away from the performance to gauge Andrew's reaction. "Aren't they scary?"

"Well, they are different from what I normally see," Andrew answered, the three big sword changing into five smaller ones with a command from Mrs. Kagari as the creatures began to dance as well. "Why are there weapons?"

"Onmyouji are exorcists."

"Onmyouji? Exorcists?" Andrew repeated, gawking as the scary creatures vanished and were replaced with two floating papers again. "What are those papers?!”

“Are you talking about the Shikigami?” Akko asked, knowing that her mother was getting ready for the final performance. "Look up at the sky!"

Andrew listened and looked up, a giant white pentagram glowed bright for a couple seconds, and suddenly, hundreds of swords filled the sky, and with a wave of Mrs. Kagari's hand, they began to move rhythmically in the sky.

"Amazing isn't it?" Akko whispered, clenching her outfit tightly.  

He nodded at the question because for all the scariness of the magic this woman displayed, the swords were being played with majestically. Every moved that Mrs. Kagari made, the swords listened, separating far then coming close, looking dangerously and intimidating to anyone who was watching.

"Can you do that too?"

"Not  _that_ ," Akko said, laughing at the silliness of the question. "My mother is a genius. She can summon both weapons and contracts."

Andrew nodded as if he understood and watched as the show came to a close. "My question from earlier, you didn't answer it Miss Akko." 

"Miss Akko?" She repeated, furrowing her brows at the strangeness of it. "I told you to call me Akko! And I did answer it."

"But what's Shikigami?" He asked, trying to get a better answer from her.

"Oh." She hummed and squeezed her eyes tightly, face scrunching as she tapped her lap rapidly. "I can't tell you!" 

"Why not?" 

"Kagari clan secrets," she said, pausing before giving him a secretive smile. "You’re funny! You know that?”

Andrew frowned at that, crossing his arms as she began to laugh. “Why do you say that?”

“You looked so upset that I couldn’t tell you!” 

“Well that because,” he stopped and looked away, not wanting to tell her _that’s because no one’s never said no to me._ “I’m not upset.”

Akko laughed louder, finally looking away from Andrew as she saw her mother come towards the tent. She waved wildly, her mother hiding her smile with a fan, moving it to cool down her red face. Andrew moved his gaze away from the cozy moment, staring at his shoes, freshly polished earlier in the afternoon. 

“Are you going to say hello?”

“I guess,” he muttered, Mrs. Kagari raising her brow at him and Andrew straightened up in his seat greeting her when she came closer.

“Hello there,” she easily replied, her voice gentle and stride graceful as she walked into the tent. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“It was amazing!” Akko said, vibrating in her seat and she nudged Andrew to answer.

“Right Andrew?”

“Yes, it was wonderful Ma’am.”

Akko’s mother turned slightly, an amused smile playing on her lips at the formalness of Andrew’s tone. She began to undo her intricate hairstyle, setting the clips, bobby pins, and hair ornaments on the vanity table. She reached into her long sleeves and pulled out multiple pieces of paper, setting them inside a small chest. 

“Ah!” Andrew blinked at the Kagaris that were staring at him expectantly, until he realized that _he_ made that sound. Face and ears tinting red, he rubbed his nose and kicked his feet as he asked, “What are those?”

“These?” Mrs. Kagari asked, lifting a paper cutout in the shape of a bunny. “Akko didn't explain them?” 

“But mother! You said to never tell the in-intri- the importance of the shikigami to people who don't know anything about it!” Akko huffed, crossing her arms as she pouted. “It’s his fault for not knowing anything!”

“Akko,” her mother said disapprovingly, grabbing a blank paper from out of the chest and walked over to the two kids, handing Andrew the blank paper. “This is a shikigami. It can contain a demon, a ghost, a contract, or even the user’s own magic. Can you perform magic Andrew?” 

“I don’t think so,” Andrew answered even though he was sure his father wouldn't have married his mother if she were a witch. “Why?”

“Press the paper against your lips and breathe into it,” she commanded, and Andrew followed, kissing the paper lightly as he huffed on it. “Now give it to Akko.”

“Why me?” Akko grumbled taking the paper with care and brought it to her lips as well. The paper fluttered against her fingers as she let it go, the bunny cutout floating in the air before gliding over to Andrew’s face. “It’s for him right?” 

“I didn’t you could do it wordlessly,” Mrs. Kagari murmured, smiling softly at Akko. 

“I wanted to surprise you! Oh, don't pull too hard!” Akko shouted, reaching over to calm the paper that was frantically trying to get out of Andrew’s eager grip. “It’s yours now. Be kind to it. It’s part of you.”

Andrew scrunched his nose at the paper that seemed to be chastising him, the ears of the bunny cutout twitching anxiously. “Can it talk?”

“Not in words,” Mrs. Kagari said, reaching for the paper and touched it’s ears, the paper flipping around and moving fast near her face. “See, now it’s mad that I touched it without asking you first.”

“Don’t be mad,” Andrew mumbled, trying to calm down the paper, feeling silly that he was talking to it in the first place. The shikigami paused and floated back to Andrew, staying near his knees as he stared down at it. “Will it always be moving?” 

“Not always,” Akko answered, getting off the seat and reached into a bag that was tied around her waist, opening it to show Andrew papers that were laying flat on top of each other. “See, mine are calm because I’m calm. They sometimes go according to your emotions.”

“I see,” Andrew mumbled, touching the shikigami delicately and it nudged into a hand like a cat. He felt like there was more behind the secret of the shikigami but he supposed that was also the allure of it. “I like it, thank you.”

Mrs. Kagari laughed softly and held the tent opened, waiting for Andrew to get up. When Andrew left the tent he thanked the Kagaris one more time, Akko threatening him to take good care of his shikigami and the older Kagari gave him a sly smile. 

As he went back to his table, his dad commented that Andrew took a long time in the restroom and Andrew smiled, his shikigami pressed flat against his chest, fluttering gently.

* * *

_9 years later:_

“Master Andrew, your father said you two would be departing soon.” 

“Thank you,” Andrew said, dismissing the maid, looking at the mirror one last time as he fixed his tie. “What’s going on with you Atsuko?”

The shikigami floated around Andrew’s face for the hundredth time that day, it’s movements clearly expressing its happiness and excitement. “Are you that eager to go to Luna Nova? I doubt we’ll meet anyone that knows what you are.”

Atsuko stopped, and Andrew knew from experience that the small movement of its ears meant that it was laughing. “Oh? Do you know something that I don't? Well, in that case,” he lifted his lapel away from his body, the shikigami gliding over and pressed against his chest. “Let’s go see what’s in store for us.”

**Author's Note:**

> kind of felt like the first half was unnecessary but i wrote it and deleting it would be a waste so here ya go, i hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
